Petition drive seeking votes on zoning rules in Powdersville comes up short

Powdersville residents said last year that uncontrolled growth caused traffic jams on area roads, especially Hood Road in front of the middle school, high school, and elementary schools. A new entry point to the back of the middle school, off of Roe Road, is expected to help lighten the load on Hood Road.(Photo: Independent Mail file)

Organizers began the failed petition drive in October after dozens of residents voiced complaints at public meetings about how the rapid pace of growth in Powdersville is leading to traffic congestion on area roads. Critics argued that zoning rules would infringe on property rights.

Powdersville, which is home to about 30,000 residents, is growing three times faster than the rest of Anderson County, according to county officials.

With the exception of a strip of businesses packed along State 153, subdivisions dominate the landscape, and more are expected to be built in coming years to accommodate retirees and commuters who work in nearby Greenville. A recent county study found that nearly 16,000 acres near Powdersville are poised for development.

Last year the Anderson County Planning Commission approved plans for 253 single-family houses, 280 apartment units and 198 townhouses in Powdersville. Four projects proposed by developer Joey Beeson that would have resulted in construction of an additional 256 single-family houses and 206 townhouses were rejected by the commission.

Under county rules, 15 percent of the registered voters in a precinct must sign a petition for a zoning referendum to be held.

To meet that threshold, organizers needed to gather signatures from 439 registered voters in the Powdersville precinct and an identical number in the Concrete precinct, according to the Anderson County Registration and Elections Office.

Petitions with 496 signatures for the Concrete precinct and 493 signatures for the Powdersville precinct were submitted to the registration and elections office on Feb. 7. As part of a verification process that was completed Tuesday, officials rejected 67 signatures on the petition for the Concrete precinct and 66 signatures on the petition for the Powdersville precinct.

That means that the petition for the Concrete precinct came up 13 signatures short of sparking a referendum and the petition for the Powdersville precinct came up 14 signatures short.

Most of the rejected signatures in the two precincts involved residents who were either not registered voters or who did not live in the respective precincts, according to tally sheets released by the registration and elections office.

In the Powdersville precinct, 33 signatures were from people who are not registered voters, and 21 people signed the petition who do not live in the Powdersville precinct. In the Concrete precinct, 31 signatures were from people who are not registered voters, and 18 people signed the petition who do not live in the Concrete precinct.

Anderson County Planning and Community Development Director Michael Forman said this is the first time that he can recall petition drives for zoning referendums failing to include enough signatures from registered voters in the affected precincts.

The county's most recent zoning referendum took place in 2012, when 55 percent of the voters in the Sandy Springs/Denver precinct cast ballots in favor of adopting zoning regulations in the area.

Forman said organizers in Powdersville can mount another petition drive at any time. The soonest that zoning referendums could be held in the Powdersville community would be August.

Anderson County Council member Ken Waters(Photo: Independent Mail file photo)

County Councilman Ken Waters, whose district includes Powdersville, said he has remained neutral on the zoning issue, which he described as a "delicate subject."

Waters said he will "wait and see" if another petition drive is mounted seeking zoning referendums in Powdersville.

Bobby James, a Powdersville activist who spearheaded the petition drives, said Tuesday that he hasn't decided on how to proceed.

Follow Kirk Brown on Twitter @KirkBrown_AIM and email him at kirk.brown@independentmail.com